Petrol prices, insurance costs, tax, MOT and general running costs make it clear why so many in London rely on public transport and Oyster cards.

So it seems somewhat surprising just how many cars were abandoned on the streets of west London in the last three years.

Figures, collected from a Freedom of Information request, revealed contractors had removed 129 abandoned vehicles from around Ealing.

These included a wrecked Jaguar, dumped in The Common, and a Mercedes E230, from The Crescent, both in Southall.

One car, left in Wells House Road, was so badly burnt out that no one could even work out what model it was.

Eight of the vehicles left abandoned in Ealing were motorbikes.

A total of 23 cars were taken from Harrow's roads in the last three years and scrapped - including a Mercedes, two Ford Mondeos, two Vauxhall Astras and a Volkswagen Polo.

Most recently a Ford Mondeo, left in Court Drive, was scrapped after being reported abandoned on January 29.

Any member of the public can report a vehicle as abandoned to their local council.

A notice is then placed on the vehicle, informing the owner the set amount of time they have to remove it. If the abandoned vehicle is still there after the time has passed, it will be taken to a compound and may be destroyed.

Brent authorities have removed 98 vehicles so far this year. These include a Jaguar, abandoned in Harlesden, and a Vauxhall Astra, in Kenton.

A further 513 vehicles were removed from Brent's streets in 2014.

Authorities in Hounslow have investigated 225 reported abandoned vehicles this year, 17 of which have been removed in comparison to 44 for the whole of 2014.